Taylor Swift is alienating her neighbors by building a giant seawall on the public beach in front of her $17 million Rhode Island home, according to Connecticut newspaper The Day.

The newspaper accuses Swift of “rearranging the rocky coastline” beneath her oceanside mansion in Watch Hill, R.I. Columnist David Collins reported seeing earth movers digging rocks out of the ocean to build a wall. Swift’s home sits above a public sandy beach. A local surfer told the newspaper he believed the work was “completely illegal,” saying changes to the ocean bottom will affect the surf.

But Laura Dwyer, spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, told the Providence Journal that Swift’s contractors have all the relevant permits, and had fllowed the law: “All is OK. Everything is on the level. They haven’t done anything wrong.”

Swift’s building work comes after an intruder was arrested for trespassing at her home earlier this year, after swimming onto the property at 2 a.m.

The only thing "public" at the beach is the water and whatever sand is owned by a municipality. All of the sand in front of a beach front home is owned by the home owner except in special exceptional cases. The property line depends on the state, but is either the High Tide or Low Tide line. In Delaware, where I live, the Low Tide mark is the end of the homeowner's property.

Basically, that means that there is no right to walk on the beach belonging to a homeowner. The right is to the water, not the beach. Access to the water is defined by municipalities and States, but if there is no marked access, then there is no right to use that beach. Public beaches are those owned by the State, such as off a boardwalk or in an area reserved as a State Park.

People assume that they have all these rights to us the beaches everywhere, but they don't. Educating the public would be helpful rather than furthering the ignorance by avoiding the obvious.

What a piece of crap. Did you have extra space you needed to fill? " alienating her neighbors". No she isn't. Some occasional residents who have no idea what she is doing or why (like you) are complaining.

"The newspaper accuses Swift of “rearranging the rocky coastline”. No they didn't. Read the damn thing.

"Swift’s building work comes after an intruder was arrested". The work comes after many things, including hurricane Sandy. RI's DEM and CRMC are unbelievably tough. You should read what they are doing in/to Matunuck, RI Swift is a taxpayer in Watch Hill. Her old deteriorating beachwall which is on her property, not public property, needed repair. She hired contractors to fix it. They applied for the necessary permits, got their plan approved and fixed it. Two sometime residents of Watch Hill from out of state and an unknown surfer screamed fowl. You, like they, had to make a comment. None of you had the facts, let alone the actual facts.

It's the second day of the new year. Why not make a resolution to get your act together. If not your act, at least your facts

Her property goes down to the high tied mark, post hoc ergo propter hoc If you are walking on the beach at high tide and are not in the water you are on her property. She is not building a sea wall, she is repairing a sea wall that was built in the 1930s. The boulders there were part of the original sea wall. Anyone who does not keep their sea walls in good shape is less than smart.

Is this a story? Seems like a neighborhood problem of the wealthy. They do not like the spoiled bitches wall get a petition and fight the city or county whom ever has jurisdiction and make a court thing done and over , maybe she wins or the neighbors win. I guarantee the surfers do not win.